1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to garment bags. More particularly, the present invention relates to garment bags of the type having flexible walls of fabric or plastic sheeting, for example, and which at one end thereof provide a hook by which the bag and its contents may be hung. The hanging bag is able to receive hanging clothes on hangers, as well as other possessions of a traveler. For transportation, such garment bags fold on themselves so that ends of the bag are congruent or confront one another, and the hanging clothing items therein are transported in a folded condition. For example, the bag may fold generally in half or in thirds so that the height of the bag in its folded condition is convenient for a person to carry. Generally a garment bag of the indicated type includes a handle or strap attached outwardly of a fold in the bag so that a traveler may conveniently carry the bag and its contents. Also, generally a strap or pair of straps connects the congruent ends of the bag to retain the bag in its folded condition for carrying. A bag which folds more than once will generally include additional straps securing the additional folded portion of the bag in a folded position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Suitcases or valises having rigid walls or a rigid frame with flexible side walls are well known. When such a suitcase is carefully packed snugly with clothes, the clothing items will not shift about very much during transportation, and are much less likely to be creased or wrinkled very much by the random uncontrolled movements of the bag in transport. However, when such a suitcase is not snugly packed, the clothing items therein will shift about in transportation and will arrive at their destination badly wrinkled. Unfortunately, a traveler does not always have a suitcase of exactly the size needed for snug packing. Because rigid-walled and rigid-framed suitcases are not expansible to match the size needed, a traveler using such a case will use a suitcase of a size sufficient to insure that all the desired clothing and other items can be packed into the case. Such a case will generally be somewhat larger than needed, will be somewhat loosely packed, and the traveler will consequently suffer with wrinkled clothes which have shifted about within the suitcase during transit.
Moreover, because of their convenience in packing, transportation, and use, garment bags having flexible walls have become increasingly popular. These bags usually incorporate an external hook by which the bag and its contents may be hung for packing and access. Internally, these bags include a hanger support structure by which clothes on hangers may be suspended within the bag. While these garment bags generally include a stiffened spine area where the bag folds and to which the handle and shoulder strap attaches, as well as a "boxing" or stiffening in the area of the internal hanger support structure, these conventional garment bags are for the most part fabricated of flexible sheet or fabric and are flexible, or are not shape-retaining.
As mentioned above, this conventional type of garment bag usually provides for the bag to be secured and carried in a folded condition. In addition, these bags with their flexible walls are somewhat expansible to accommodate the needs of the traveler. That is, the bag can accommodate a greater packing of clothes and other articles therein simply by becoming fatter. Conventional garment bags also include a plurality of internal and external pockets which allow the bag to be soft-packed for best use of the available volume.
Unfortunately, the advantages provided by the flexibility of conventional garment bags also results in a great increase in the problem of clothes in the bag being creased and wrinkled. As discussed above, this clothes wrinkling problem is believed to originate with two sources. The first of these sources is simply careless packing. In this regard, creases which are introduced by careless packing are not attributable to any particular suitcase or garment bag design. The design of a particular garment bag can only contribute to the alleviation of this first aspect of clothes wrinkling by being convenient and easy to use.
Secondly, flexible garment bags contribute to the wrinkling of clothes therein in two related ways. On the one hand, the flexibility of the bag itself allows the clothing items in the bag to be flexed and wrinkled as the bag is moved about in transit. Because the garment bag itself is flexible, it may be again be folded double, bunched up, rolled up, or otherwise forced out of its intended configuration as it is handled along with other items of luggage traveling through an airport, or to or from an aircraft, for example. Of course, the clothing items in the bag are subjected to quite a bit of bunching and wrinkling as the bag is subjected to these distortions from its intended shape.
On the other hand, and in part because of the flexibility of the garment bag, the clothing items therein may not be held securely in place. This aspect of the wrinkling problem also exists with rigid-wall and rigid-framed soft-side suitcases which are not tightly packed. That is, the clothes may be jostled about and shifted within the bag during handling and transport. With a conventional garment bag, it is not possible to prevent the clothing items from being shifted about.
These two factors in conjunction with one another contribute to a creasing and wrinkling problem with conventional garment bags which exceeds even the well known problem with conventional rigid-wall and rigid-frame suitcases.
Nevertheless, because of their convenience, flexible garment bags have become very popular, and are widely used by travelers. This popularity of conventional flexible-wall garment bags may contribute to the large market for travel-sized steam irons.